Tour de France - Caleb Ewan: Now I want a victory in Paris with the Champs Elysees
Sep 10 2020 04:05 am CET
Image: Lotto Soudal logo
Lotto Soudal's Caleb Ewan has claimed his second stage in the current edition of the Tour de France.
The Australian rider was the fastest at the final sprint in Poitiers despite the headwind. He crossed the finish line ahead of Peter Sagan, Sam Bennett and Wout van Aert, although the former world champion was later on disqualified for irregular sprint.
"It was such a crazy finish," said Ewan. "I was in the front with 1.5km to go and dropped back because of the headwind. After my first stage win I knew I had to keep calm and wait for the right time and the gap to open. That happened quite late to the finish. I did a big throw on the line and didn't know if I won. I had a real desire to win today. After yesterday, I was disappointed, and I am so happy to repay my teammates with the win."
"I am super happy with my two stage wins. One just takes the pressure off. Then after the first one you always want a second. And now I for sure want a third victory, especially in Paris with the Champs-Élysées. So I hope to get through the mountains and get another chance in Paris."
With Philippe Gilbert, John Degenkolb and Steff Cras out of the race, Ewan has fewer teammates to pursue his objectives. "With Lotto Soudal we are down to five guys," he affirmed. "That means we only have four guys to do the work for me in the sprint stages. After the hard work during the stage I had to manage with two guys in the final 10 kilometres. The other teams put us under a lot of pressure with the attacks. But my two guys rode like ten guys. They did such a terrific job.
"My closest opponent Sam Bennett is one of my best friends. It is always business when it comes down to sprinting. But we are happy for each other when we win. I was very happy for him yesterday getting his first win. You saw how much it meant for him and I know how hard he worked for it."
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